Reader Response1. Look over the illustrations and captions on pages6 and 7. How does the author use each one on thepages that follow?2. Use a t-chart like the one below to compare andcontrast shore birds and water birds. Then summarizeyour findings in a short paragraph.Shore birds

Water birds

Changing to Survive:Bird Adaptations3. What is mucus and how does it help birds eat?

4. Which group of birds do you find most interesting?Why?

by Lillian Duggan

Note: The total word count includes words in the running text and headings only.Numerals and words in chapter titles, captions, labels, diagrams, charts, graphs,sidebars, and extra features are not included.

They soar above the clouds like graceful airplanes.Birds can be found nearly everywhere on Earth—from land to sea, desert to tropical rain forest. Theyare beautiful and diverse. They live all over theworld, even ice-covered Antarctica. Some birds spendtheir lives on the open ocean and move onto landonly to nest. Other birds never leave the ground.There are many kinds of habitats in the world.Some places are hot and dry, while others are coldand wet. Each habitat has challenges for its animallife to overcome. In order to survive in a habitat,an animal must be able to adapt, or change. Thesechanges enable, or make it possible for, an animal tosurvive in its home.Birds are one of the most successful animals onEarth. They have adapted to so many different placesthat they inhabit every type of habitat in the world!In this book, you’ll see how each bird has adaptedto survive in its home.

The black-throated sparrowis adapted to life in thedesert. It can go withoutdrinking water for days.

From the First Bird to Flying MachinesThe first birds were probably relatives ofprehistoric reptiles. Scientists have animal fossils withwings and feathers from 150 million years ago. Theseanimals also had reptile features, such as teeth,claws, and a long tail. Scientists named this ancientanimal Archaeopteryx. The wings and feathers ofArchaeopteryx show that it could fly, but scientistsdon’t think it stayed in the air for a very long time.Over thousands of years, birds have evolved intoflying machines. Their bodies are well suited for airtravel. Birds are faster and can stay in the air longerthan other flying animals, such as bats or insects.Certain birds have been known to fly 100 milesper hour and travel over a thousand miles withoutstopping.How do birds do this? It helps that birds havewings and bodies that are almost completely

Archaeopteryxprobably descendedfrom a small dinosaur.

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Hollow bones enablea bird to use lessenergy during flight.

A bird’s beak appearsthick and heavy, but itis made of lightweight,though hard, material.

Flying takes a lot of energy. For birds to be suchgreat fliers, they must save as much energy as theycan. They can save energy because their bodies areso light. Their bones are thin, and some are evenhollow. Even a bird’s beak is thin and lightweight.To get the energy they need to fly, birds eat a lot.For small creatures, they have big appetites. In fact,birds eat more food than other animals the samesize. They also choose foods high in energy, such asseeds, fruits, fish, worms, and insects. Birds digestfood quickly so they can use the energy right away.5

Homes Around the WorldBirds live in nearly every corner of Earth. Eachnew location had its own set of challenges that birdshave had to adapt to in order to survive. Some birdshave long beaks; others have short ones. Some havelong legs while others need short legs. Some birds flyfast, while others never leave the ground.In this book, you will read about eight differentgroups of birds, including—

Woodpeckers

Sea Birds

Shore Birds

Expert Fliers

Land BirdsWater Birds6

You’ll see how they had to adapt to survive.7

Sea BirdsThe ocean is probably the hardestplace for birds to survive. There is abird that spends most of its life in theair above the ocean. This bird is calledthe wandering albatross. It may lookpretty tiring to stay airborne so long,but the albatross has adapted to makeflying easy. With nearly an eleven-footwingspan, this bird uses the flow ofocean air to glide effortlessly.Penguins are seabirds too. Living inthe cold region of Antarctica, penguinsmay not fly, but they’re great swimmersand divers. Instead of wings, they useflippers to push themselves through thewater. Webbed feet and a tail help themto steer.Penguins have also adapted to survivein freezing cold ocean water. Thick layersof waterproof feathers keep them warmand dry. Below the feathers, a layer offat keeps them warm.

The wandering albatross isalmost always in flight. Itreturns to land only to breed.

Emperor penguins are the onlyanimals that spend the winteron the ice in Antarctica.

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The pheasant-tailed jacana eatsinvertebrates, frogs, and fish.

This common snipe is enjoyingan underground meal.

Shore BirdsShore birds spend so much time in shallow waterthat they’re also called wading birds. Shore birdsusually have long, pointy beaks and long, thin legs.They like being close to land. Their pointy beaks helpthem dig in dirt or sand for worms, insects, crabs,and snails. Long legs keep the rest of their bodies dryabove water.Shore birds, such as sandpipers and plovers, live allaround the world. Sandpipers live along shorelinesand in marshes. They eat snails and worms in thewinter and insects in the summer. Sandpipers havemastered the art of catching and swallowing theirprey with their bills still underground!10

Unlike many other shore birds, plovers have shorterbeaks and legs. They don’t need long beaks becausethey eat above the water. With their short legs,plovers spend less time in the water than sandpipers.One plover, the wrybill, has a beak that bends tothe right. It looks funny, but it’s useful. This shapehelps the wrybill easily get food from under stones.The New Zealand wrybill walks in circles while ithunts for food.Another shore bird, the jacana, is known for itsunique feet. The jacana’s toes and claws are longand spread out. These special feet enable it to walkon wobbly surfaces like floating lily pads. The jacanalives in lakes, marshes, and ponds in Africa, India,China, and Southeast Asia.11

Water BirdsWater birds live near lakes, rivers, ponds,and marshes. These are great nesting spots.They are surrounded by tall plants that keepthe birds safe and hidden.Flamingos may be the most beautifuland unusual water birds. They are largewith long legs and necks. The flamingo isperhaps one of the most popular birds inthe world. Who can help but admire itslong, curvy neck and pretty pink color?Flamingos have an unusual downwardpointing beak. They stick their heads in thewater upside-down to find food, using theirbeaks like scoops. The flamingo’s musculartongue pumps water into its beak. Then, thewater is strained out, leaving tiny plants andanimals behind.Geese, ducks, and swans live on pondsand lakes from big cities to the remotetundra. These birds are built for swimming.They have webbed feet, which they use likepaddles to push themselves through thewater. They not only swim well, but they aregood fliers. They migrate great distanceseach winter to warmer areas in the south.Mallard ducks are beautiful and colorful.Like other ducks, mallards get food from thewater’s surface. The sides of their bills arelined with filters that strain food from thewater. They are also very resourceful. Theyare willing to get food in many ways, suchas taking scraps from people’s hands.12

Like the flamingo, the pelican is an unusuallooking water bird. They have the longest bills of anybird. Pelicans use a pouch on their bills to catch fish.When the pelican plunges its bill below the surfaceof the water, its pouch opens up. The water drainsout of the pouch, and then the pelican enjoys itsmeal. Like ducks, pelicans have webbed feet to helpthem steer in water. They’re also good fliers, andmany migrate over long distances. The great whitepelican lives in parts of Africa, Europe, and Asia.

Sometimes mallardsdive into shallowwater to feed fromthe bottom.

Great whitepelicans feed ingroups, herdingfish together.

Flamingos’ feathers turnpink because of pigmentsin the foods they eat.

Birds of PreyBirds of prey are hunters. Eagles, hawks, andbuzzards are all birds of prey. They have powerfuleyesight that allows them to find their prey, or food,easily. They have sharp claws for catching animalsand hooked beaks for tearing their food.Owls are nocturnal, which means they hunt atnight. Owls are known for their huge eyes in thefront of their faces. They can hunt well in the darkbecause of their powerful eyes and ears. They canalso rotate their heads almost all the way around tosearch for prey. Unlike most birds, owls have featherswith soft edges, making it easy for them to sneak upon their prey quietly.Barn owls spend their days resting inside treeholes or barns. They eat mostly mice and otherrodents. They can catch these rodents in totaldarkness because of their powerful hearing.14

Pale Male, a City HawkThe city is a noisy place with a lot of buildings.Red-tailed hawks love open spaces where they cansoar in the sky for hours. It seems unusual that theylive in cities. In fact, a particular red-tailed hawk livesin one of the largest cities in the world, New YorkCity. Pale Male, is a real New Yorker. Pale Male gothis name because his feathers are lighter in colorthan those of other red-tailed hawks.Some red-tailed hawks migrate from Canada toMexico or Central America in the winter, passingthrough New York City.In 1991, Pale Maledecided to stick aroundin the Big Apple.Surprisingly, Pale Malehas lived in New York eversince. Living near the city’slargest park, Central Park,he can easily find food. Hecan swoop down from hislookout spot and snatch upprey in seconds. He has hadseveral mates and producedmany offspring. Pale Maleand a recent mate raised theiryoung in a nest on the ledgePale Male has livedof an apartment buildingin New York Cityoverlooking Central Park.since 1991.

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SongbirdsSome birds are known for making beautifulmusic. These are called songbirds. Some songbirdssimply string a few notes together, while others singenchanting songs. The songs of the lark and thenightingale are two of the most admired. Songbirdssing to attract mates or to defend their homes.Except for a few species, only males have this talent.Songbirds are also called perching birds, becausethey have special feet that help them balance ontree branches. Three of their four toes point forwardand one points backward. This enables songbirds, orperching birds, to wrap their toes around a branch ora wire easily.Songbirds have different types of beaks,depending on what they eat. White-winged crossbillshave beaks with crossed tips that specialize in eatingcone seeds. They use their beaks to pry apart thescales of the cones. Then their tongues lift out theseed hidden between the scales. Crossbills can eatthree thousand seeds in a single day!

Like the nightingale, the mockingbird is a famoussinger. The mockingbird can copy the calls of otherbird species. It can also mimic the sounds of otheranimals and objects, such as saws. Mockingbirds usetheir songs for protection, and their constant singingtells other birds to stay away.The North American dipper is a songbird thathas adapted to life on the water. Its name comesfrom the habit of quickly raising and lowering theirbodies into the water by bending their legs. It lives inmountain streams and ponds. The dipper has strongfeet that can grip slippery rocks in the water. Itperches on these rocks and dips its head underwaterto search for food. Insects, worms, snails, small fish,and fish eggs make up the dipper’s diet. When thedipper spots a tasty meal, it either wades into thewater or dives under. Dippers aren’t good surfaceswimmers, but they are fast underwater. They evenflap their wings in underwater “flight.” They havea thick undercoat of feathers, which keeps themwarm. They also have flaps that close their nostrils tokeep out water and an extra clear eyelid to protecttheir eyes.

North American dippersbuild their nests onstream rocks orbeneath waterfalls.

Northern mockingbirds spendmost of their time running orhopping on the ground.

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Land BirdsWe usually think of birds as flying animals. Mostbirds do fly, but there are some that don’t. Someland birds have wings that are too small for flying.Some land birds can fly, but they only use their wingsto make short flights into the trees at night. Thesebirds are known as game birds. They include turkeys,pheasants, and quails.Some land birds have become fast runners, withlong, strong legs. The fastest of these is the ostrich.The ostrich is the largest and heaviest bird in theworld. Ostriches are nearly six feet tall. They weighbetween two and three hundred pounds. An ostrichcan run forty-three miles per hour, making it able tooutrun most of its enemies.The ostrich is well adapted to its environment.It lives in semi-desert and grassland areas in Africa,where it can walk a long way in search of food. Plantshoots and leaves, flowers, and seeds make up mostof its diet.

WoodpeckersYou may have heard thetapping of a woodpeckerand not known what it was.Woodpeckers eat insects thatlive in tree trunks and onleaves.Woodpeckers have aunique way of finding food.With its heavy, pointed beak,a woodpecker hammers intotree bark to find insects.When the woodpecker findsan insect, it stretches out itslong, sticky tongue and grabsit. Some woodpeckers haveprickles or special mucus, orthick sticky fluid, on theirtongues for snatching upinsects.A woodpecker’s head hasalso adapted to protect itself.Woodpeckers peck hard andquickly, like a jackhammer.Their brains need protectionfrom this repetitive jarringmotion. Woodpecker’s skullsare made up of spongy,shock-absorbing bones.18

Woodpecker

Ostriches travel in flocks of tento fifty birds in search of food.

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Expert FliersSome birds are better fliers than others. Manyskilled fliers have interesting ways to get food.Hummingbirds, for example, can beat their wingsmore than fifty times per second, allowing themto hover in mid-air. A hummingbird uses its longbeak to drink nectar from flowers.The ruby-throated hummingbird lives in forests.It migrates to Central America for the winter,flying nonstop across the Gulf of Mexico.Many expert fliers catch their food straightout of the air. The European bee-eater specializesin eating bees and wasps. It captures its prey inmid-air. The bee-eater rubs the insect on a branchto destroy its stinger before eating it, and thenswallows up the nonstinging insects.Swifts are fast and skilled. Because they havesmall legs and feet, swifts don’t walk much.These birds can do almost everything in the air.They catch insects, eat, and drink while in flight.Nesting is the only activity swifts must do on land.The Eurasian swift spends two to three years inflight without landing!

Bird ConservationBirds have adapted in many ways to differenttypes of habitats. Unfortunately, growing cities,pollution, and cutting down trees have hurt birds’habitats.Adaptation takes many years. Many birds havenot been able to adapt quickly enough to changesin their habitats. Some of them are now extinct, orno longer exist. Others are still around thanks tothe help of conservationists. Conservationists helpendangered animals survive.Sometimes supplies in a bird’s habitat becomescarce, or in short supply. This scarcity happens whena habitat is destroyed. Conservationists help birdsby trying to get laws passed thatprotect their habitat.When conservationists helpanimals to breed, they help themto grow. Zoos around the worldhave breeding programs.

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These programs bring birds into the zoo where theycan mate and have babies. Breeding is critical, orabsolutely necessary, when a species is endangered.Scientists who work with birds have specialtraining. They need to understand how to care foryoung birds. Baby birds must be kept in a sterileplace that is free from harmful bacteria in order tokeep them healthy.Conservationists have saved a large number ofbird species from extinction.

1. Look over the illustrations and captions on pages6 and 7. How does the author use each one on thepages that follow?

sterile adj. free fromharmful bacteria.

2. Use a t-chart like the one below to compare andcontrast shore birds and water birds. Then summarizeyour findings in a short paragraph.

that moistens and protectsscarcebodyparts.

Shore birds

Water birds

scarce adj. lacking anspecializeamountthat is enough tomeet demand.

sterile

Word count: 2,536

3. What is mucus and how does it help birds eat?4. Which group of birds do you find most interesting?Why?

Note: The total word count includes words in the running text and headings only.Numerals and words in chapter titles, captions, labels, diagrams, charts, graphs,sidebars, and extra features are not included.